KMT caucus files lawsuit against protest organizer

By Flora Wang / STAFF REPORTER

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus yesterday filed a lawsuit against Tsai Ting-kuei (蔡丁貴), chairman of the Taiwan Association of University Professors, over Tsai’s mobilization of pan-green supporters to besiege the legislature last Friday and yesterday.

At a press conference, KMT caucus secretary-general Chang Sho-wen (張碩文) accused Tsai of obstructing legislators’ freedom by calling on people to besiege the Legislative Yuan and prevent lawmakers from leaving the building.

The caucus’ criticism came after Tsai and some 50 pan-green protesters surrounded the Legislative Yuan yesterday morning, urging the legislature to officially relieve former KMT legislator Diane Lee (李慶安) of her seat.

Lee, who has been at the center of controversy over dual citizenship since March last year, resigned on Thursday last week — one day before a number of pro-localization groups took to the streets and besieged the legislature to demand Lee be unseated.

She has been under increasing pressure since the results of a US government citizenship check last month said that Lee “has previously been documented as a US citizen with a US passport and no subsequent loss of US citizenship has been documented.”

The Nationality Act (國籍法) bans all government officials from holding dual citizenship and requires those who hold foreign citizenship to renounce it before assuming office and present proper documentation as proof within one year of assuming office.

Despite Lee’s resignation, the protesters emphasized that resignation and dismissal were legally different.

Chang yesterday also accused Tsai of holding dual citizenship when Tsai served as vice minister of environmental protection and an official at the Development and Evaluation Commission under the Executive Yuan.

Chang did not present evidence to back his claim but urged Tsai to provide documentation proving the nullification of his foreign nationality.

In response, Tsai said he signed a document abandoning his dual citizenship when he took the post of deputy minister of Research, Development and Evaluation Commission in 2002, and the abandonment process was completed within a year, and so he did not have dual citizenship while serving as public official.

Tsai said the KMT caucus had failed to relieve Lee of her duties as legislator, and instead made false accusations against him.